Autonomous vehicles that are capable of operation without human intervention are rapidly improving. As such vehicles are commercialized they will improve local transportation by providing greater functionality and allowing new methods and systems to be utilized for moving passengers and cargo. One such enabling-functionality is the ability of the vehicle to move from one location to another location while empty of any human. For transportation logistics this manifests itself as the attribute of being able to self-deploy, that is move from one user to the next user discontinuously and autonomously. This ability to self-deploy permits broad changes to occur in the methods and systems of local transportation. When self-deployable vehicles are commercialized, existing methods and systems of personal and commerce transportation will be utilized in new ways, and innovative new methods and systems of personal transportation and commerce will be developed. Multiple technologies ancillary to the self driving vehicle have been developed that are essential to the efficient operation of the transportation systems they may be used in, examples of which are shown in the following US patents and publications: communications (U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,064,681 6,697,730 7,482,952B2 US20110059693 US20130132887 US20140011521), tracking (U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,479,901 7,538,691 US20140129135), mapping, (U.S. Pat. No. 6,356,838), and specifically for technologies involved in the distribution logistics for managing the deployment of vehicles such as routing drivers and positioning of passengers (U.S. Pat. No. 6,356,838; US20110059693; US20120239452A1; US20130132140; U520130204676; US20140011522A1).
There is a need for improved systems and methods to enable greater utilization of self-driving vehicles. One method for optimizing system performance is through ride sharing, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,840,427. However there remains a need for systems and methods that improve the cost and efficiency of self-driving vehicles. The economic benefits of such systems and methods in addition to the benefits self-driving vehicles promise to offer in safety, productivity, fuel consumption, and carbon emissions.